Rotary water-meter



'(ModeL) A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. ROWBOTHAM.

ROTARY WATER METER.

No. 325,362. Patented Sept. 1 1885.

(Model.\ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. ROWBOTHAM.

ROTARY WATER METER.

No. 325,362. Patented Sept. 1, 1885.

RS. Phokvmm n h r, Wzdxin ton. D. C

NITED STATES PATENT @rrrcm JOHN RO\VBOTHAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY WATER=M ETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 325,362, dated September 1, 1885. Application filed March 13, 1885. (Modem T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jor-IN ROWBOTHAM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in V'Vater- Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to a class of water-measuring devices to be applied to pipes, in which the working-chamber of a casing inclosing a drum provided with two diametrically right angular rigid sliding vanes is provided with two concentric surfaces, of which the upper is a bearing for the periph' eral surface of the drum, and thelower,which is of greater radius than the upper, bounds a measuring-stirface-in which the said concentric surfaces are connected by eccentric or cam surfaccsand in which two waterports, respectively forming the entrance and exit for the water, open into said eccentric surfaces.

In meters of the above class it is a desideratum not only that the water should be caused to pass through the meter in as nearly as possible a straight line, so that its flow be not retarded by the friction and changes of course incident to long and tortuous passages, but'it is also of prime importance that the vanes during the period of their sliding over or being acted upon by the cam-surfaces should move as freely-that is to say, with as little frictional contact against or straining with re spect either to said camways or to their slot ted ways or slide-bearings in the drum-as is possible, so that the vaneprovided drum may be extremely sensitive under a small head or pressure of water, and, if desired, in connection with a discharge-orifice of small diameter or when supplying a small stream. It is, moreover, a most essential requirement that the vaneprovidcd drum should be capable of being rotated backward or in the opposite direction to that of its usual rotation, because in many instanccs,when the inlet-pipe becomes clogged with matter too large to pass either through it or through the meter, it becomes essential to be able to clear said pipe by steam, water, or other pressure applied to the outlet-pipe and exerted backward through said outlet pipe and through the meter into the inlet-pipe. Heretofore, however, in

meters of the foregoing class, in which the drums have been provided with sliding vanes, the inlet and outlet ports have occupied relatively such positions that while the water in 5 course, or else to travel around said circumfer- 6 ence in an are equal to three-fourths of its full extent, and largely greater than the length of what is in fact the necessary measuring-surface of said chamber, while, so far as my knowledge extends, it never has been the practice in meters having sliding vanes traveling in contact with the measuring-segment, and in which the ports have been so intro duced to the working-chamber that the water has traveled through it in a short, direct,comparatively straight, and consequently unretarded course, to provide any means for also securing access of the water to both sides of. both the, for the time being, advancing and receding vanes of y the drum during their traverse of the cam-surfaces, so that said vanes may during such traverse be under an equilibrated pressure and the sensitiveness of the instrument for accurate measurement be thereby and in consequence thereof preserved.

I have discovered that the admitted advantages, first, of the introduction to and exit of the water from the working-chamber preferably in the same straight line, and through a short segmental course throughout the length of and in contact with the segmental floor of which the vanes travel, and, second, of an equilibrated pressure of the water upon both sides of both the advancing and retreating vanes duringtheir traverse of the camways, can both be at the same time and in the same meter secured by a particular construction and arrangement of the inlet and outlet ports with respect to a short and direct segmental measuringsurface, and to the camways of the workingchamber, and also by the provision in conjunction both with said inlet andoutlet ports, and with said camways, of chambers or recesses at least coextensive in length with the length of said camways, and I have represented in the accompanying drawings and described in this specification a good form of a convenient embodiment of my said improvements, (in connection with other improvemen ts relating to the vanes of the drum,) the particular subject-matter which I claim as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the accompanying drawings Ihave shown my improvements as applied to a water-meter of the construction illustrated and described in an application for patent filed by meDecember 1, 1884, Serial No. 149,203.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of the meter wit-h myimprovements, but having the cover-plate detached; Fig. 2, a sectional plan on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectional perspective of the drum with its blades; Fig. 4, a sectional view of one-half of the meter on the line 3 4, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is asectional view on the line 5 6, Fig. 1, with the drum and its vanes removed.

The casing A is preferably of the circular form shown in Fig. l, and is provided with an inlet, a, and outlet at, preferably in line with each other. One end of the casing is closed, while the other is provided witha detachable cover'plate, A, as shown in Fig. 2. The closed end of the casing carries the box 0, containing the registering mechanism, which may be of any suitable construction, 'this box being preferably cast in one with the casing A.

The cylindrical portion of the casing is provided with a filling-piece, G, as described in my above-cited application, so as to form a working-chamber having two faces, 00 y and v w, concentric with the axis of the rotary drum, hereinafter described, while the intermediate faces, 10 x and y o, are eccentric thereto.

The rotary drum D, I prefer to construct,as described in my above-cited applicatiomwith central journals, (1 (2, one adapted to a bearing in the cap, and the other adapted to a bearing in the closed end of the casing. An extension of the latterjournal is provided with a worm, q, engaging with a wheel, 1), of the registering mechanism.

The drum D is provided with the usual transverse slots, to which are adapted the sliding vanes E E, each in itself rigid, as distinguished from that class of vanes which are made of two parts,with an intermediate spring or springs to extend them. The drum is so mounted in its bearings that its periphery will move in contact with the concentric face w a, while the ends of the vanes E E as they are successivelyrprojected from the drum travel in contact with the other and longer face, :01, which may be termed the measuring-surface.

In my above-described application each of these vanes is shown and described as being equal in length to the diameter of the working-chamber; but such a construction is attended with the objection that if any solid matter should get between the end of an advancing vane and the lower edge of the inletopening a, Fig. 4, the meter would cease to operate. To meet this difficulty I make the vanes, as shown in Fig. 1, somewhat shorter in length than the diameter of the workingchamher, so that if any solid matter should get in between an advancing blade and the edge of the inlet-opening the clearance left at the opposite end of the blade will allow the latter to yield and the drum to continue its rotation, the solid matter being allowed to pass through the meter and escape without arresting the operation of the meter.

As the blades are shorter than the diameter of the working-chamber, the eccentric surface y 2; cannot be relied on entirely to push the vanes outward at the opposite side to the full extent to insure their always coming into con-.

tact with the measuring-surface from x to 3 This is insured, however, by centrifugal force when the meter is operating at a relatively high speed, and on the other hand by gravity when the drum rotates slowly. I therefore always place the measuring-surfacemy below, in order to attain this gravitating action in connection with the shortened vanes.

In order that the meter may continue to work, no matter if the vanes become shortened by wear at the ends, I make the notches s therein, Fig. 3, considerably wider than the extent of movement of the vanes, and preferably the widths of the notches are about double the extent of movement, so that the legs 6 of one vane, Fig. 3, will not come into contact with the transverse portion of the other vane, and thereby prevent the outer end of the vane from coming into contact with the wall of the workingchamber.

In order to have the pressure on the vanes equalized during their sliding action, and so lessen the friction against the slots in the drum, I provide in the walls of the working chamber recesses 70, which extend at least throughout the length of its eccentric surfaces w 00 and 3 o, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, so that the water will have access to both sides of both the advancing and receding blade, and there will be no lateral pressure thereon during their entire sliding motion.

Such being a description of a device con-- veniently embodying my invention, it is proper for me to add that while the best operation of a meter of this class is secured by applying the ports in a horizontal position on opposite sides of the casing and in alignment, as shown in the drawings, yet I do not restrict myself to placing them exactly opposite to each other, or to introducing them to the casing in a strictly horizontal disposition or upon a common level, because so long as they communicate with the recesses in the cam-surfaces and are introduced upon opposite sides of the vertical axis of the casing, all: the advantages flowing from the provision of recessed camways in communication with said ports are secured and I therefore in the claims employ the words horizontallydisposed opposite ports under the foregoing qualifications.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the casing and retary drum of a water-meter with transverse rigid vanes carried by the drum, and shorter in length than the diameter of the chamber in which they move, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the casing and rotary drum of a water-meter with transverse rigid vanes carried by said drum, the said vanes being shorter in length than the diame ter of the chamber in which they move, and crossing each other, and having notches coir sidcrably greater in width than the extent of motion of the vanes, as set forth.

3. A water meter consisting of a casing having a working -ehamber with eccentric surfaces 10 :t' and y o and concentric surfaces w o and m 7 with the ineasuringsuriaee :r y at the bottom, and a rotary drum carrying rigid vanes shorter than the diameter of the workingchamber, as and'for the purpose set forth.

4. A casing for the vane-provided drum of a water-meter, the workirig-chamber of which is provided with an upper segmental. surface, being a bearing for the peripheral face of the drum, with a lower segmental measuring-surface concentric with said upper surface, but of greater radius, and with two intermediate eccentric surfaces or caniways, each provided.

with a recess at least coextensive with its length, and likewise provided with horizontally disposed opposite ports opening into said recesses, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a meter, the combination of a drum having sliding vanes and capable of rotation in either directiomwith a casing the workingchanibcr of which is provided with an upper segmental surface, being a bearing for the peripheral face of said drum, with a lower segmental measuring-snrfaoe concentric with said npper surface, but of greater radius, and with two intermediate eccentric surfaces or can1 ways, each provided with a recess at least coextensive with its length, and likewise pr0vided with horizontally-disposed opposite ports opening into said recesses, the arrangement being such thatwhile the water enters and leaves the meter upon opposite sides and passes through it in a short segmental course, so as notto be retarded, the vanes during their passage over the eamways are under an equilibrated pressn re of water in the recesses, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ROXVBOTHAM.

Witnesses:

HENRY Howsox, I'IARRY SMITH. 

